RECAP:  The site of the original CS Bell Foundry plays host to several seasonally themed attractions.  During the day, guests are invited to visit their festive, 8-acre pumpkin patch and choose one from their large variety of shapes and sizes.  Some giant pumpkins are also on display for your viewing enjoyment in their masters’ section, including a few weighing in at over 500 pounds and one tipping the scales in excess of 1900 pounds, nearly a whole ton!

As the sun sets, the venue transforms into a more sinister Halloween environment with three different haunt-related activities taking place on the grounds, including The Harvester Ride, Strawman’s Stalk corn maze, and The Bell City Walk trail. 

THE HARVESTER RIDE takes place on a tractor-pulled wagon, where Hog Farmer Fred, a squealing, “oinked-off” swine-faced assailant climbs aboard noisily slamming a pitchfork onto the floor and sides of the cart before it departs into the dark, secluded woods.  The mile-long ride itself begins through a foggy tunnel featuring some pneumatic surprises unexpectedly appearing out of the mist, then dives into the forest where numerous attackers parade onto the wagon delivering a variety of assaults.  Screeching monsters and others charge out of hiding and hop on as rolling along through differently colored, flashing lights and past a number of static props provokes more and more incursions!  Chainsaw packing maniacs are among the aggressors as more scares materialize when the tractor cuts off a horn-honking truck that comes speeding out of the lightlessness!  Projections of crawling spiders infest the surroundings in the midst of hanging, human cocoons that dangle down from overhead tree limbs as the adventure continues into the DHP Carnival, where Bubbles the clown and her friends have their way with you, one of whom is seen victimizing a screaming captive inside an isolated shack!  Other sights include a Friday the 13^th reenactment that witnesses Jason holding down and killing another unfortunate sufferer.

Horned creatures, zombies, hockey masked goons, and an intimidating voodoo priestess clutching onto her magical “Coco Macaque” (illuminated, skull-headed staff) are just some of the villains that ambush the experience, that also includes a revisit from Fred, the irate, squealing porker still armed with his trusty pitchfork, and multiple encounters with Frankenstein, who they call "Gag," unleashing his fury first by blasting a deafening horn when jumping off an incline onto the ride!  “Mine!” he defiantly protests while quickly pulling away when one of us reaches for his noisemaker!  Later, he creates another skirmish by means of a flame-thrower like blowtorch to set fire to the ground adjacent to the ride before returning to the wagon zapping at riders with a Taser-like device bringing a shocking conclusion to The Harvester Ride!

- 23 minutes, 22 actors

BELL CITY WALK:  The eerie, half-mile journey through the haunted woods kicks off by ringing one of the site’s Elmer Dawes-approved bells that emits a most perfect tone just prior to embarking upon the lengthy adventure.  A fog-filled cave finds red-eyed, vampire-faced bats hanging upside down from the ceilings, and illuminated jack-o-lanterns lighting the way along the sides of the outdoor trail leading to an early encounter with “Botched,” a seductively-dressed girl having an abnormal face, perhaps the consequences of a messed-up nose job.  Swinging a large wrench, she follows from the rear as the path visits a variety of scenes including a slasher armed with a bloody knife that’s sliced the arms off of several victims; a gnawing zombie assault; a crawling screamer that comes scampering up from behind on all fours; a spark cage; and a strange fiend with a crate containing a startling surprise, affectionately known as “Richard, the biggest you ever seen!”

Loud screeching sounds accompany advancement through a building filled with skulls and into a hospital interrupting a diabolical doctor desperately in need of organ donors to help save the life of a nearly dead patient.  Barely making it out with our large and small intestines intact soon leads past some standing mannequin obstacles that help hide a ghillie, jump-scare surprise before continuing onto a baby-faced attacker in concordance with a mechanical, “living doll” that suddenly transforms from nice to scary in a matter of seconds!

Progression across a candle-lit bridge brings about hostilities from a sledge hammer-wielding rebel wearing a white, blood-stained lab coat, followed by warnings from a fleeing girl that comes running down the path shouting, “Run!  He’s got a gun!”  Moments later, shots are fired by a bloody-faced cowboy carrying a Colt 45 who was previously hidden amid the trees that appears on the scene cautioning, “There’s evil in these woods, but I’ll protect you!” as the trek bends its way into a shanty that houses Ring girl, Samara seen rising up out of a chair, and another casualty emerging from the crevices inching along the floor on her hands and knees!

A tolling bell beckons approach to a building identified only by an ancient, fading sign with the word Foundry barely discernible.  Top-hatted “workers,” contemporary to the time period encourage divergence through a frightening cemetery, where a skeleton corpse break through the ground, inquisitive ghouls ask, “Have you seen Elmer?” and his mourning bride to be, still in her wedding dress begs, “Don’t leave me!”  

Making it out of the graveyard through the safety of a friendly pumpkin patch heads back to the midway area of Dark Harvest Productions and out of Bell City Walk.

 - 25 minutes 25 actors

STRAWMAN’S STALK:  This clever, 7-acre corn maze winds its way back-and-forth through uncertain loops, paths, and dead ends in search of a bell that must be rung in order to expose the one-and-only exit.  Complicated by the presence of a scarecrow and several creatures of the night, visitors make use of a “passport” to correctly answer questions posted along the way to aid the proper direction of travel.  Ten such “clue stations” are positioned along the route, and customers make use of their knowledge of 4-H to solve the “riddles” that guide navigation left or right.

Once again, answering the questions will point you in the right direction, but not knowing them may keep you lost in the corn for hours!  It took OVH approximately 30 minutes to find our way through and complete the lengthy course, however it can easily take much longer and even range in excess of an hour or even 90 minutes!  It can be kind of tough, but it’s designed that way!  That’s what makes it so much fun!

- Anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes, and about 5 actors!

ANALYSIS:  Dark Harvest Productions takes advantage of the history behind the Hillsboro-based, CS Bell Company, famous worldwide for manufacturing bells.  This first-year haunt has a lot of promise and features three differently themed attractions.  Strawman’s Stalk, the corn maze, is the best of its kind establishing itself as the front-runner for OVH’s Best Corn Maze Award!  It’s spacious and comprised of loops, dead ends, and unsure paths.  What makes it even more appealing are the clues that are provided along the way and explained on the event’s passport bringing a new twist to corn mazes by utilizing one’s 4-H knowledge to answer questions and hopefully go the right way!  This clever attribute makes the adventure fun, exciting, and thoroughly enjoyable, while separating itself from the competition!  It’s something that’s just not seen at similar attractions that might not be as challenging by design, or simply a straight, walk through a cornfield.

The Harvester Ride needs to work on lighting and sound and supplement dead zones with additional scenes and detailing and more substantial props.  Clown and Jason victimizations are memorable and well done.  More such incidents would further elevate the score.  Best performers are squealing, pitchfork-toting, Hog Farmer Fred, who believes each and every customer is one of his pigs, and the emotional Gag, Frankenstein’s monster, who stole the show!  Screechers, Voodoo Priestess, and chainsaw maniacs also earn honorable mention, and at one point, an entire horde of monsters climb aboard terrorizing passengers all at the same time!  Horn-honking truck is a great scare, as is the use of fire!

Bell City Walk hits the high points of the site’s backstory revolving around Elmer Dawes and his history with the CS Bell Foundry, right up to his tragic demise on his wedding day.  Here too, scenes could stand some improvement and sprucing up as there’s just too much walking in the dark with nothing much happening and little to look at.  Sparks are appreciated and acting is good throughout with favorites being “Botched,’’ crawlers, stalking zombie, doctor, ghillie monster, cowboy, Richard’s handler, and sledge hammer rebel!  Soundtrack needs attention here as well.

Haunts are a bit pricey considering this is a first-year venue and the product being offered.  Admission costs $25 for any single attraction, which is just too much.  Their combo ticket, which includes all three, has recently been reduced to $35 and presents the best bargain.  Fast Pass Combo sells for $50 and for those not wishing to get scared, Village only entrance can be purchased for just $10, which includes access to the on-stage performances and seating, vendor and concession areas, fire pits, etc.  Daytime admission to the village is free from 10 AM to 5 PM with the corn maze reduced to $10 for adults during daylight hours ($7 for seniors and members of the military and free for children under 10).  There’s also a wagon train ride for kids during the day that’s only $3.  The pumpkin patch can also be enjoyed free of charge during Family-friendly Saturdays and again from noon to 5 PM on Sundays.

There’s something for everyone at Dark Harvest Productions with entertainment ranging from on-stage song and dance, to captivating magic from a talented illusionist, to family-oriented activities during the day and scary haunted attractions at night.  This unique attraction is off to a great start and the sky’s the limit for future development that will only make it even better.  Be sure to arrive early so you don’t miss any of their shows!  And while you’re there, be sure to visit one of their concession stands, one of which sells a mystic, non-alcoholic concoction that actually bubbles up and appears to give off smoke when dry ice is added!  There’s also a cookie seller and as previously mentioned, an 8-acre pumpkin patch that’s open during the day for the little ones.

Take a ride out to the country for some festive Halloween fun!